Article to be worn on the foot in conjunction with sandals

ABSTRACT

An article of apparel for the foot comprising five individual toe shafts with distal openings. The article is adapted to leave a foot heel uncovered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.61/262,921, filed on Nov. 19, 2009, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is related to socks, and more particularly socksto be worn with sandals.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Flip Flop sandals have been a popular fashion trend for years but manywearers suffer from painful blisters due to the rubbing of the flip flopstraps where they come in contact with the skin. Split toe socks areavailable to the public for wear with flip flops but they cover all thetoes and the full foot of the wearer. These types of socks areundesirable, particularly during the hot summer months, if the wearerwants to have their feet feel bare and cool. Hence, there is a need inthe marketplace for a sock that allows the flip flop wearer protectionfrom blisters while also keeping their feet feeling as bare and cool aspossible. Additionally, there is a need for this product to befashionable so as to enhance the appearance of the foot while wearingflip flops and coordinate with clothing. Currently there is no producton the market that serves this function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an article of apparel for the foot thatcovers only the forward portion of the foot. The sock ends mid footleaving the heel, ankle, and leg of the wearer exposed. It isconstructed to have five individual toe shafts for each toe, similar toa traditional five toe sock, however each individual toe shaft is leftopen to expose the wearer's toes. Embodiments of the present inventionprovide for a partial toe, half sock, advantageous for wear with flipflop style sandals to provide comfort, and prevent skin blisters causedby rubbing of the flip flop thong and straps. Having the tops of thetoes exposed as well as the heel and leg exposed, allows for the foot tostay feeling cool and bare, as is desirable when choosing to wear flipflop sandals during warm weather. Additionally, the sock will bedesigned in a variety of fashionable colors and prints to be used as afashion accessory item to coordinate with the wearer's clothing and flipflop sandals.

In order to provide a snug fit to the foot, elastic materials will beused around the mid foot opening of the socks. This will aid in acomfortable fit and to hold the sock in place during wear.

The present invention will also be designed with a decorative rubberizedimplementation on one side of sock in the form of the product's logo.The primary function of the rubberized traction material is to providetraction between the sock and the wearers flip flop sandals. Additionalbenefits of the rubberized implementation is that it will providetraction between the sock and the ground if the wearer uses the sockswithout shoes, and it offers a different fashionable appearance on oneside of the sock. Since the socks are not designed to have a specifictop vs. bottom they can be worn with the rubberized logo on the top ofthe foot for fashion purposes, or it can be worn with the rubberizedlogo on the bottom of the foot for traction purposes.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention willbe understood with reference to the drawing figures and detaileddescription herein, and will be realized by means of the variouselements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following brief description of the drawing anddetailed description of the invention are exemplary and explanatory ofpreferred embodiments of the invention, and are not restrictive of theinvention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of an article of apparel for the foot in an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the article of apparel for a foot of FIG. 1 in anembodiment of the present invention shown on a wearers foot viewed fromthe top.

FIG. 3 is a view of the article of apparel for a foot of FIG. 1 in anembodiment of the present invention shown on a wearers foot viewed fromthe side.

FIG. 4 is a view of the article of apparel for the foot of FIG. 1 in anembodiment of the present invention shown as it may be worn on awearer's foot wearing flip flop sandals.

FIG. 5 is a view of the article of apparel for the foot of FIG. 1 in anembodiment of the present invention shown on the reverse side as shownin FIG. 1, that includes the rubberized materials in the form of theproduct's logo.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to thefollowing detailed description of the invention taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure.It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to thespecific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/orshown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments by way of example only and is notintended to be limiting of the claimed invention. Any and all patentsand other publications identified in this specification are incorporatedby reference as though fully set forth herein.

Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference toa particular numerical value includes at least that particular value,unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressedherein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to“about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a rangeis expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular valueand/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values areexpressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it willbe understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the foot covering (10) has five individual toeshafts (12), (14), (16), (18), and (20) that are open ended to alloweach toe to fit through its own toe shaft. Each toe shaft allows theentire top portion of the wearer's toes to be exposed and will beapproximately ½ cm to 1 cm in length. The edge of each toe shaft (22)can be sewn in a manner of the knitting process that allows forflexibility of the garment to stretch around the toes but not unravelduring normal wear or washing. The bottom portion of the foot covering(10) can be finished with a ribbed band of elastic materials (24)blended with the sock fibers to allow for the foot covering (10) to holdtight to the foot and not slip or bunch up during wear.

The foot covering (10) can be constructed of, but not limited to, ablend of materials such as cotton, spandex, acrylic, or polyester inorder to achieve the best combination of elasticity, breathability,absorption, and overall comfort for the wearer. The construction ofthese materials can be a knitted process produced by machines used toconstruct traditional socks.

With particularity to FIGS. 2-4, the length of the present invention(26) extends to mid foot of a user. The mid foot location can be in thegeneral area of the foot between the ball of the foot and the heel ofthe foot, as is indicated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. The exact point on thefoot where the foot covering (10) can end mid foot, will differ slightlydependant on the size of the wearer's foot. The length of the footcovering (26) from the top of the baby toe (20) to the end of the sockcan be approximately 8 cm.

Referring to FIG. 4, the foot covering (10) is worn as it is intendedwith flip flop sandals, there are areas of the foot (28 & 30) thattypically experience the highest risk of rubbing and blistering from thethong and straps of the flip flops. The point between the big toe (12)and the second toe (14) is an area (28) where the thong of the flip flopsits. Because of the individual toe shafts (12 & 14) the rubber thongwill not rub against the skin. The skin is protected. Additionally, theareas on either side of the foot where the flip flop straps connect tothe sole of the flip flop (30) are another area of high risk forblistering. Because the length (26) of the foot covering (10) extends tomid foot, the skin in the area of point (30) is protected.

Referring to FIG. 5, on one side of the foot covering (10) there can bestylized rubber traction materials added in the form of the product logo“Flop Sox” (32). The foot covering (10) can be worn with the rubber logo(32) facing up or worn with the rubber logo (32) on the bottom of thefoot allowing the foot covering (10) to have the benefit of beingreversible. When the rubber logo (32) is worn on the bottom of the footit does provide additional traction between the foot and the sole of theflip flop. This is particularly beneficial if the sole of the flip flophas a more slippery finish. Wearing the rubber logo (32) on the bottomof the foot can also be beneficial to provide traction to a slipperyfloor if the wearer is using the foot coverings (10) without any shoes.Situations where the wearer may choose to use the present inventionwithout shoes may be when in a dance or yoga type activity where peopleoften choose to go barefoot during the activity.

It should be emphasized that the above described embodiments of thepresent invention, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, are merelypossible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clearunderstanding of the principals of the invention. Many variations andmodifications may be made to the above described embodiments of theinvention without departing substantially from the spirit and principlesof the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended tobe included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the presentinvention and protected by the following claims.

1. An article of apparel for the foot comprising five individual toeshafts with distal openings, wherein the article is adapted to leave afoot heel uncovered.
 2. The article of claim 1, wherein the article isadapted to leave a foot ankle uncovered.
 3. The article of claim 1,wherein the toe shafts are adapted to expand around a toe.
 4. Thearticle of claim 1, wherein the toe shaft distal openings are adapted toexpose at least an inserted toe nail.
 5. The article of claim 1 furthercomprising a compressible ring adapted to secure to a foot.
 6. Thearticle of claim 1, further comprising a stylized grip secured to thearticle behind the toe shafts.